Storm

Storm arrived at the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary in the early hours of the morning on Sunday the 7th of August 2011, after enduring a tiring 8-hour journey from the Limpopo. Storm’s owner made the difficult decision to send him to the rhino sanctuary after all the rhino cows on his farm had been killed by poachers. The farmer refused to take Storm anywhere else other than to Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary!

When Storm arrived at the farm his temperature was extremely low, and we immediately began to warm his body. It didn’t take long to see that Storm was one feisty baby rhino, and that he wasn’t going to take nonsense from anyone! The process of winning his trust was no easy task, and it quickly resulted in Petronel receiving two blue knees and a broken hand.

This ferocity lead to the name “Storm” as he never enjoyed being fed from the front, causing him to charge his handlers on multiple occasions. After flipping Petronel and Samuel Broweh a number of times, it’s safe to say that Storm’s trust was well and truly earned!

As Storm refused to be fed from in front, the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary team was forced to pack and hide behind Lucerne bales when feeding Storm so as to stay out of his line of sight. Once Storm had been fed, it was a contest to see how fast one could exit the boma. Storm was not into making human friends at all!

Lunar, at that stage, was already at the sanctuary when Storm arrived and because of a well-established and strong bond, she didn’t allow Petronel to spend much time with Storm, hiding her underneath the grass bales whenever Storm was nearby. It’s remarkable to see how the relationship between Lunar and Storm has changed and grown as the pair are now never seen apart.

Lunar has become Storm’s confidant, and we are hopeful that they will one day go on to have a family of their own after both their families have been murdered.

“I am enjoying every second of this wonderful journey with Storm that started over 5 year ago. Storm was always a very strong animal, and has grown to be a big bull weighing almost two tons! I stand in awe as I watch him roam freely in his new stronghold, and I am reminded of the reasons of why we do what we do. What a privilege has been to witness him grow, and I have no doubt that he will go on to be the big bull that he was destined to be!” – Petronel Nieuwoudt